P.J. and Gina Novello of Jackson have grown up at the beach. At 8 and 9 years old respectively, the siblings call Island Beach State Park their home away from home.

So when the opportunity arose to help plant 15,000 bare-root plants along the park’s 10-mile shoreline Saturday, they both jumped at the chance and woke up bright and early.

“We always come and help, and even if we’re just fishing for fun, we always look out for garbage,” said Gina, gazing at the Sandy-damaged dunes. “With (us planting) the dune grass, it just helps the beach grow.”

“We’re always on duty when we come here,” said P.J. “We love this beach. It’s all we ever want, to come here on the weekends.”

Island Beach State Park endured considerable damage from superstorm Sandy, including breached dunes, loss of electric and gas utilities, damage to park structures and piles of debris and sand.

The Novellos were among roughly 150 volunteers who came to rebuild the beach with the grass planting project, in areas where dune stabilization is most needed.

The beach grass was purchased at Churches Nursery by Friends of Island Beach State Park.

Becky Laboy, interpretive program manager at the park, said the plants’ rhizomes, stem cells that act like root structures, are instrumental in the regrowth process.

“It finds its way deep into the ground. It can grow pretty long, and when it meshes with the other rhizomes or roots of the American beach grass, it forms a net,” said Laboy. “That’s what’s holding the sand dune in place. Without that vegetation, it’s very easy for water to just come up and erode the sand and wash it away.”

As the wind blows the sand, the beach grass gets covered and then grows above the sand, building dunes.

“People love this park. It’s really a people’s park in every sense,” said Laboy. “It’s an opportunity for people to not only make a difference, but feel good about it.”

Restoration on track

Park officials were on hand to give demonstrations for planting beach grass and answer ­questions from volunteers, who were staggering the grass throughout the Two-Bit Road section of the park. Ocean Bathing Area 2 (the southern extension) and Area 7 (Fisherman’s Walkway) also had beach grass planted Saturday.

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There were also inquiries about the progress of the discarded Christmas trees “planted” along the beach in January as part of a dune-restoration project.

Park officials said the trees now are fully buried by the sand, creating dunes and doing their job.

Snow fencing also was purchased and installed March 1 by the New Jersey Beach Buggy Association, which received a $16,500 state grant for the project.

“You can’t even see them anymore,” said DEP spokesman Bob ­Considine. “A lot of this dune fencing is already catching sand. There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s going to get done. And we’re still intent on having the park be fully operational for the peak summer season. ... We’re still on track for that.”

Considine said the DEP hopes to open a southern section of the park in the next couple of weeks.

Kim Frank of Toms River brought along his three grandchildren from Scotch Plains to the park for the planting.

Frank is a member of the beach buggy association and has been coming to Island Beach State Park his whole life.

“It’s totally different,” said Frank of the park’s condition post-Sandy. “The dunes were much higher. ... And they’re gone. People really want to help, and this is so good for the kids.”

His granddaughter ­Jamie Frank, 9, was ­excited to plant grass ­simply because she wanted to be a part of something.

“So when I come back here, I can know that I planted some of them,” said Jamie.

Her brother Bradley Frank, 7, also was excited to help.

His favorite part, he said, was digging holes in the sand.

This is the fourth volunteer event at Island Beach State Park since Sandy.

In addition to beach grass planting, Saturday was also a cleanup event.

“The beach is never ­going to be the same, but we just want it to look the same as it did before Sandy,” P.J. Novello said.